Sell Sentimental Bass?

[Burwabit]

Sell it and don't look back

 

[groove pump]

Dilemma. I have a great bass that I bought new in 1982, which I played on countless shows during a very active period thru 1990.

It’s been retired and closeted for about, gosh, 30 years now? Wow. Weird to write that.

So — naturally I’m still a GAS-driven shopper, and I still need what it takes ($$) to scratch that itch.

Opinions — pass the bass on to someone who’ll play and love it or continue to hang on to it for sentimental reasons??

I've taken extra time to unload one thing or another, but once I knew that I didn't want to play an instrument anymore, letting it go was fine. As long as yours has been in the closet, I doubt you'll miss it once you find a new home for it.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

Okay, here's where I am on the sentimentality.

You'll regret selling - especially to someone who just collects out of GAS - unless you are literally starving or about to be homeless.

You'll also regret a good bass just being neglected.

What you will feel good about is seeing it in the hands of someone in your life who appreciates the bass as much as you have for all these years. Find that person and give them the greatest gift. If you don't have kids or they are uninterested, be Mr. Miyagi and find your Ralph Macchio. Love of music is a gift, not a commodity.

 

[Runlikegregg]

For better or worse, I say sell it.
But I just don't have the room to store a bass I'm not playing.
I sold my '77 Ric for that reason.
Do I miss it? Yes! Would I be playing it with any kind of regularity? No.
So then why keep it. Let someone else love it.

I guess flip side would be hang onto it for 30 more years and sell it for far more!

 

[9c1ny]

All depends on what it's worth.
If it's a good amount and you can take a vacation, do home improvement or buy basses you'll play, sell it.

If it's a small amount and the money is inconsequential, keep it

 

[godofthunder59]

I think you will regret selling it, maybe not right away but eventually you'll rue the day.

 

[Giffro]

Its my birthday today and at 72 years old my wish for blowing out the candles was to have all the basses I sold..to have back. You will regret selling it.

 

[Jefenator]

Never love something that can't love you back...

 

[VeryTallBassist]

Last year I finally decided to part ways with my first bass, a 1983 Music Man Cutlass 1. My dad owned a music store and was a Music Man dealer. At the time when I was a kid, he was still also playing in a wedding band every weekend. This was his last bass before he sold the store and went on to open an AV business, and when I started playing sometime around 1987 he gave it to me rather than let it sit in its case and do nothing. I played the crap out of that bass for years, but around 2001 or so I made the switch to 5 strings and never looked back. The Cutlass became something I noodled around on but never saw a live performance again.

The thing about Cutlasses is at the time everyone thought graphite necks would never warp, so there was no truss rod. The reality was that 40 years of string tension turned the neck into something bordering on unplayable. I eventually decided not to sell it, but to trade. I found a person who collects Cutlasses (this would become his 11th one) and I traded for a 1999 Spector NSJH5 and a Spector NS2A. I wound up selling the NS2A, which is its own story - UPS lost the package and paid out the insurance claim, only to find it a day later and deliver it safe and sound. Since the claim was already closed out, they wouldn't take the money back. I doubled my money and bought a Bongo 5 (a bass I had already regretted selling - TWICE!!).

I have never regretted getting rid of the Cutlass. It went to someone who knew what it would take to fix the neck and appreciate it, and I added to my collection of instruments that I actually use. As for the sentimental value - I asked my dad before I sold it and his answer was "You still have that thing???"

 

[lug]

You could come to regret selling it, go into a deep depression, and throw yourself off a tall building. I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Dust2Dust]

HAY-ell No!

People who ask other people if they should sell their bass . . . . shouldn't sell their bass

There is a reason you haven't let it go yet, and it's the same reason you would regret letting it go now

 

[Bitterdale]

Dilemma. I have a great bass that I bought new in 1982, which I played on countless shows during a very active period thru 1990.

It’s been retired and closeted for about, gosh, 30 years now? Wow. Weird to write that.

So — naturally I’m still a GAS-driven shopper, and I still need what it takes ($$) to scratch that itch.

Opinions — pass the bass on to someone who’ll play and love it or continue to hang on to it for sentimental reasons??

I seen no reason to hold onto a bass you don't play. I would let it go, particularly if I could then acquire something I would play.

 

[lug]

Seriously, restring, set up, play, and THEN decide if you still want to sell it. You might be surprised.

 

[fivestringgecko]

Seriously, I've regretted selling quite a few basses, basses with no sentimental value...

I'll echo this. I can immediately think of three that I definitely regret selling, one of which I've actually thought about trying to track down and buy back, and those also didn't have sentimental value.

I'm very thankful I still have my first bass, even though it's just a 4-string.

@lug has a good idea. I make it a point to take all of my basses out of the case at least once or twice a year, and they always remind me why I keep them.

If you have the space, hang onto it. If you have to ask an internet forum whether you should keep it, sounds like you'll regret selling it more than you'd regret keeping it.

5sg.

 

[MegaSwing]

Does it cost you anything to keep it?

I’m always ranking my basses according to which will be the last survivor, in the event of a purge. Seniority matters. We’ve seen too much together. But, believe me, we have come close to parting ways. It is quite difficult to do dispassionately.

 

[Lowbrow]

I’ll buck the trend (as usual) and say that you should let it go. Your bass can go to a carefully chosen up-and-coming player and be as inspirational to them as it once was to you.

There are so many threads around here with people complaining about the state of music and the prices of everything -including basses - is going up globally. A lot of families and future players might not be able to afford the start up cost… Why not help someone get into the game and help ensure that there will be at least one new excited bassist in the world after you’re gone?

This is sort of where my mind is at. No kids, and my skeleton will get little out of it. Another player would probably love it as much as I did; I would hope to avoid someone who wants to flip it, so if selling I'll make it expensive enough to make that unattractive.

 

[Lowbrow]

My first bass was a Jazz that I thought I'd never sell, even though I'd stopped playing it for at least five years. When I needed a bit more money to get my dream bass built, I sold it and never looked back. Don't miss it a bit.

After 30 years in the closet, I doubt you'll all of a sudden want to play it again.

Agree here.

 

[Lowbrow]

I think you will regret selling it, maybe not right away but eventually you'll rue the day.

Always a possibility!

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Tough call. Seller's remorse is real. I've tried some basses other than my Musicmasters and Mustangs and all of them went off to someone else. The only one I have seller's remorse over is an SX Shorty Jazz that I spent all of $150 on. That was my first "backup" bass when I couldn't afford something nicer, it was great.

Maybe @lug had the best suggestion on this thread? Take it out and make it playable again. You'll probably have one of two revelations. 1-Holy crap, why haven't I played this in 30 years or 2-it doesn't do anything for you.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Lowbrow]

Last year I finally decided to part ways with my first bass, a 1983 Music Man Cutlass 1. My dad owned a music store and was a Music Man dealer. At the time when I was a kid, he was still also playing in a wedding band every weekend. This was his last bass before he sold the store and went on to open an AV business, and when I started playing sometime around 1987 he gave it to me rather than let it sit in its case and do nothing. I played the crap out of that bass for years, but around 2001 or so I made the switch to 5 strings and never looked back. The Cutlass became something I noodled around on but never saw a live performance again.

The thing about Cutlasses is at the time everyone thought graphite necks would never warp, so there was no truss rod. The reality was that 40 years of string tension turned the neck into something bordering on unplayable. I eventually decided not to sell it, but to trade. I found a person who collects Cutlasses (this would become his 11th one) and I traded for a 1999 Spector NSJH5 and a Spector NS2A. I wound up selling the NS2A, which is its own story - UPS lost the package and paid out the insurance claim, only to find it a day later and deliver it safe and sound. Since the claim was already closed out, they wouldn't take the money back. I doubled my money and bought a Bongo 5 (a bass I had already regretted selling - TWICE!!).

I have never regretted getting rid of the Cutlass. It went to someone who knew what it would take to fix the neck and appreciate it, and I added to my collection of instruments that I actually use. As for the sentimental value - I asked my dad before I sold it and his answer was "You still have that thing???"

HA HA HA! If I could have a similar outcome -- 2x my selling price -- I'd be on it RIGHT NOW!